Armed Intruder

Barry University Armed Intruder Procedure

If a hostile person(s) is actively causing deadly harm or the imminent threat of deadly harm within a building, if possible...

Lock yourself in (and the intruder out of) the room you are in at the time of the threatening activity.

If communication is available, call 911.

Don’t stay in the open hall.

Do not sound the fire alarm. A fire alarm would signal the occupants in the rooms to evacuate the building and thus place them in potential harm as they attempted to exit.

Barricade yourself in the room with furniture or anything you can push against the door.

Lock the window and close blinds or curtains.

Stay away from windows.

Turn all lights and audio equipment off.

Try to stay calm and be as quiet as possible.

If for some reason, you are caught in an open area such as a hallway or lounge type area, you must decide what action to take.

You can try to hide, but make sure it is a well-hidden space or you may be found as the intruder moves through the building looking for victims.

If you think you can safely make it out of the building by running, then do so. If you decide to run, do not run in a straight line. Keep any objects you can between you and the hostile person(s) while in the building. Once outside, don’t run in a straight line. Use trees, vehicles or any other object to block you from view as you run. When away from the immediate area of danger, summon help any way you can and warn others.

If the person(s) is causing death or serious physical injury to others and you are unable to run or hide, you may choose to play dead if other victims are around you.

The last option you have if caught in an open area in the residence hall, may be to fight back. This is dangerous, but depending on your situation, this could be your last option.

If you are caught by the intruder and are not going to fight back, follow their directions and don’t look the intruder in the eyes.

Once the police arrive, obey all commands. This may involve your being handcuffed or made to put your hands in the air. This is done for safety reasons and once circumstances are evaluated by the police, they will give you further directions to follow.

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